Palin needs to drop the victim angle

By many measures, Sarah Palin jumped the shark this weekend, chief among them her insistence on playing the victim.

The Alaskan governor handled the Letterman flap so well he apologized and handed her a chance at a new footing.

I’ve argued that Letterman’s goof was Palin’s gain, and that henceforth jokes about the former McCain running mate would have to be on the issues, and not the cheap shots that came aplenty during the campaign.

But instead of trying to take the new road that Letterman offered her, Paul chose to stay mired on the old one, insisting that “the media” were after her once again.

“And though it’s honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make,” Palin wrote on her Facebook account.

She’s acting like the “Perils of Pauline” character tied up on train tracks by an evil villain. If she’s to continue in politics, she needs to be stronger than that.

No doubt, Palin had every right to challenge speculation that she might be stepping down due to some scandal that soon would break.

But such speculation would’ve come no matter who stepped down.

Anytime a politician suddenly announces something as dramatic as leaving office – without providing a good reason – it’s only natural to suspect something’s wrong.

Politicians are fair game. The one-time rising star – who still commands a strong and passionate following – ought to drop the “Perils of Palin” gambit and start acting like a player who understands that, or the victimization bit will continue to define her.

This woman acts like a 5th grader.
What with all of the media “after her and not saying anything good about her”
which tends to happen when you are a ditzball.
The poor little thing thinks she is being picked on, waa, waa, waa.
Grow up Palin and accept responsibility for being a vengeful politician, which is exactly what you are.

Jim Wagner

This woman acts like a 5th grader.
What with all of the media “after her and not saying anything good about her”
which tends to happen when you are a ditzball.
The poor little thing thinks she is being picked on, waa, waa, waa.
Grow up Palin and accept responsibility for being a vengeful politician, which is exactly what you are.

Ed Schofield

The Democrat Attack Machine went after Palin for the same reason they went after Newt Gingrich: They’re scared to death of her. And, they went after her the same way: Filing dozens of absurd charges of ethics violations that have required her to run up over $500 thousand in legal fees to defend herself. One such charge: She wore a jacket with a logo on it. Another charge: She was photographed holding a fish. EVERY such accusations has been found to be totally without merit! Rich Dems, like Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Boxer, etc, can afford that, even though they have never had to. Bill Clinton formed a defense fund and got millions in contributions from his buddies to defend himself from the very real, factually based accusations of perjury and sexual assault, but when Palin was forced form a defense fund, that was used as the basis for another frivilous ethics charge. It also cost the state of Alaska over $2 million to defend their governor, but the Democrat Attack Machine does not care. Isn’t filing untrue ethics accusations itself unethical?????

Ed Schofield

The Democrat Attack Machine went after Palin for the same reason they went after Newt Gingrich: They’re scared to death of her. And, they went after her the same way: Filing dozens of absurd charges of ethics violations that have required her to run up over $500 thousand in legal fees to defend herself. One such charge: She wore a jacket with a logo on it. Another charge: She was photographed holding a fish. EVERY such accusations has been found to be totally without merit! Rich Dems, like Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Boxer, etc, can afford that, even though they have never had to. Bill Clinton formed a defense fund and got millions in contributions from his buddies to defend himself from the very real, factually based accusations of perjury and sexual assault, but when Palin was forced form a defense fund, that was used as the basis for another frivilous ethics charge. It also cost the state of Alaska over $2 million to defend their governor, but the Democrat Attack Machine does not care. Isn’t filing untrue ethics accusations itself unethical?????

“No doubt, Palin had every right to challenge speculation that she might be stepping down due to some scandal that soon would break.

“But such speculation would’ve come no matter who stepped down.”

And I’m sure those rumors will continue to be spread by our illustrious news media. So much more fun than spending five minutes actually investigating the rumors, which would tell you they’re not true. But hey, that would be the media doing their job and trying to be fair. Who wants to be fair when you can feed the inuendo?

If anyone attacked Duh Won’s children half as viciously as Palin’s children have been attacked he’d cry like a baby and the media would be in a rage. But Palin should just drop the victim angle? No double standard here, is there?

Swen Swenson

“No doubt, Palin had every right to challenge speculation that she might be stepping down due to some scandal that soon would break.

“But such speculation would’ve come no matter who stepped down.”

And I’m sure those rumors will continue to be spread by our illustrious news media. So much more fun than spending five minutes actually investigating the rumors, which would tell you they’re not true. But hey, that would be the media doing their job and trying to be fair. Who wants to be fair when you can feed the inuendo?

If anyone attacked Duh Won’s children half as viciously as Palin’s children have been attacked he’d cry like a baby and the media would be in a rage. But Palin should just drop the victim angle? No double standard here, is there?

Swen Swenson

Incidentally, counting Littwin yesterday, this makes twice in two days the Denver Post has helped spread this rumor without any apparent effort to find out of it’s true.

There’s this thing called Google; you should try it some time.

Swen Swenson

Incidentally, counting Littwin yesterday, this makes twice in two days the Denver Post has helped spread this rumor without any apparent effort to find out of it’s true.

There’s this thing called Google; you should try it some time.

Swen Swenson

Oh what am I thinking? You guys are “news professionals”, you don’t need no stinkin’ facts.

Swen Swenson

Oh what am I thinking? You guys are “news professionals”, you don’t need no stinkin’ facts.

Zivo24

Hey Ed Schofield,

Keep hanging on to your misguided belief that we liberals and democrats, et al, are “scared to death” of Sarah Palin. It’s the only thing you have to hang onto as the failures and flaws of neo-conservativism become more obvious to everyone.

Understand this – Palin’s divisive politics and self-serving hypcrist ARE frightening qualities in a would-be leader, especially when they are pretty much the only thing he/she brings to the table.

Fortunately, Palin is doing everything in her power to ensure that she will never be a leader on the national scene…which is why we don’t fear her.

Zivo24

Hey Ed Schofield,

Keep hanging on to your misguided belief that we liberals and democrats, et al, are “scared to death” of Sarah Palin. It’s the only thing you have to hang onto as the failures and flaws of neo-conservativism become more obvious to everyone.

Understand this – Palin’s divisive politics and self-serving hypcrist ARE frightening qualities in a would-be leader, especially when they are pretty much the only thing he/she brings to the table.

Fortunately, Palin is doing everything in her power to ensure that she will never be a leader on the national scene…which is why we don’t fear her.

Dirk Digler

As a Dem, I would like to say to Ed that I am not a bit worried about Palin or Gingrich. I would love to have a Democrat run against either one of them. Newtie has an awful history when it comes to family decency and Palin is just plain ditzy. The GOP needs to find some leaders that are more about their core principles (small govt etc) and not crazy religious stuff. Joe Scarbrough seems like a decent guy.

Dirk Digler

As a Dem, I would like to say to Ed that I am not a bit worried about Palin or Gingrich. I would love to have a Democrat run against either one of them. Newtie has an awful history when it comes to family decency and Palin is just plain ditzy. The GOP needs to find some leaders that are more about their core principles (small govt etc) and not crazy religious stuff. Joe Scarbrough seems like a decent guy.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.